Combining knowledge for a fundamental innovation of land use to combat global environmental challenges

Progress and Results (2023 Year)

Research purpose and content

（Program Objectives）

To mitigate and adapt to global environmental problems, the relationship between various regional socioeconomic activities and natural capital need to be substantially improved. This program strives to present a new vision of land ownership and use while developing a general-purpose and science-based institutional framework and policies. It aims to achieve social implementation and the adoption of scaled-up mechanisms that drive changes in land use. Finally, the program aims to build and share its findings internationally. 

（Outline）

Land use is deeply related to global environmental issues. It is well known that greenhouse gas emissions from socio-economic activities carried out on land and the deterioration of ecosystem services due to changes in land use constitute the core of global environmental problems. On the other hand, land use not only plays an important role in food production to support the world's growing population, but also contributes to the global environment, such as mitigating flood damage and preserving ecosystems by securing retarding basins and buffer zones. It also has the potential to contribute to adaptation to environmental problems. Furthermore, improving land use will also help alleviate global environmental problems by improving watershed ecosystems, increasing carbon storage in soils and forests, and utilizing renewable energy.　

However, reports such as the IPCC indicate that improvements in land use are not progressing smoothly from a global perspective, and that dramatic improvements are required in light of the multilayered relationship between land use and global environmental issues. In doing so, it is necessary to envision improvements within a certain geographical area, rather than focusing on individual pieces of land. This is because, in many cases, the effect is first manifested or becomes greater when it is spread over the area. Furthermore, much land is private property, and in order to apply certain rules to its use, it is necessary to be keenly aware of the fundamental question of whether the current thinking on land ownership and use needs to be changed. The fact that land use forms the basis of local culture and the mutual complementarity and interconnectedness between cities and rural areas are also important points of view when considering land use improvements.

With these in mind, while making full use of scientific knowledge, the program will: (1) create new systems and initiatives for improving land use; (2) present institutional frameworks and policies to scale up these; and (3) contribute to the mainstreaming and international standardization of frameworks and policies by playing the role of an international "policy ecosystem" (see "Research Progress") that shares ideas and creates innovative ideas.

Challenges and achievements for this year

１．Establishing the operating principles of the program

The operating principles of the program were established as follows, and it was decided to ensure the autonomy and innovation of each project within the program, while ensuring the integrity of the program. These principles are positioned to play an important role in checking the progress of the program during the program period.

（The Operating Principles of the Program）

・Preserving autonomy of each project based on its original idea.

・Achieving synergies between projects under the program, collaborating with domestic and global organizations outside the program, and securing opportunities for dialogue with policy makers and actors (establishing “policy ecosystem”).

・Confirming the level of achievements of the program mission and sharing and synthesizing issues.

・Disseminating outcomes as a program and contributing to international norm building and rule making.

２．Support for IS and FS implemented in the first year　

The most important task for this year, the first year of the program, was to provide support for one FS and six IS projects selected in the first year's open call to advance to the next stage. Please refer to the progress report for the FairFrontires project, which has been ongoing since the previous mid-term plan, for the progress of the project.

（FS2023 IS and FS）

As for specific support efforts, in addition to the IS/FS workshop at RIHN (June), we held a land use innovation seminar series as follows to share the latest theories and policies regarding land use innovation. As stated in the above principles, it is important to share the basic knowledge associated with land use, while maintaining the uniqueness and innovative ideas of each research, to ensure that each research contributes to the program mission. Based on this recognition, this seminar series has been designed, which is a prerequisite to guarantee the substance of the program project system. When planning this seminar series, we share the implementation plan of the seminar series with IS/FS researchers in advance and listen to each IS/FS researcher's requests regarding the seminar theme. Care was taken to ensure the impartiality of the study.

（The Land Use Innovation Seminar Series）

1st  Workshop on Land Use Coordination～Exploring new coordination mechanisms for land use～

   Speakers ：Mikitaro Shobayashi（RIHN）　Makoto Morino（Shiga Prefecture Government）

   Date ：2023/8/7

   Location：Shiga Prefecture Government

2nd  Ambitions, challenges and opportunities for sustainable agriculture in the context of climate emergency: perspectives from the UK and Europe～

   Speakers：Professor Janet Dwyer (University of Gloucestershire, UK), Professor Lois Mansfield

   Date: 2023/9/26

   Location：RIHN

3rd  Multiple use of agricultural land at a large scale

   Speakers：Mr. Susumu Kurata（MAFF）　Mr. Keijiro Endo（Terui Land Improvement District）

   Date：2023/10/25

   Location：RIHN

4th Main findings of the new OECD report “Built Environment through a Well-being Lens” launched on November 13th

   Speaker：Ms.Elena Tosetto (OECD WISE Centre)

   Date：2023/12/15

5th  Novel incentive mechanisms for agri-environment and climate schemes

   Speaker：Professor Uwe Latacz-Lohmann (Kiel University, Germany)

   Date：2023/12/18

6th  Spatio-temporal Changes in Land Use and Human Settlements in Korea, and Lessons for 'Megacity Debate’ and Spatial Sustainability

   Speaker：Professor Park SooJin (Seoul National University, Republic of Korea)

   Date：2024/2/1

   Location：RIHN

３．Selecting the FR project to start and the program perspective when making the decision3

Based on the review at EREC held in February 2024, "Satoyama Reconnections: Engaging communities in resilient, nature- and climate-positive land use futures" with Professor Janet Dwyer as project leader was selected for a FR project to be launched from 2024. However, as it became clear that the professor's cross-appointment with RIHN would not be completed by the end of March 2024, the original plan was changed and PR, instead of FR will be started in 2024 as soon as the cross-appointment was completed, and from 2025 onwards FR would be implemented.

When FSs being reviewed, the table below, which compares the response of each FS with respect to important aspects stipulated by the program mission, was presented at EREC as a reference during the review. It is hoped that this will ensure that the achievability of the program mission will be appropriately taken into consideration during the FS review. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the two targeted FSs had a high level of consistency with the program mission, and that their content did not overlap. 

 ４．Integrated efforts as the program

As a first step toward sharing the program's mission more broadly, a paper titled "Agricultural land use policy and global environmental issues: The need for contemporary policy innovation'' that discusses the need for innovation in farmland use policy, was published. Lectures were actively given not only to academics but also to government and agricultural organizations.

RIHN will also welcome Hiroyuki Suematsu as a visiting professor, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, to provide advice on collaboration with national policies and agricultural and environmental policies, as well as having an overwhelming influence on changes in farmland use. Professor Uwe Latacz-Lohmann of Kiel University, one of the most influential researchers specialized in land use policies and incentives will also be invited as a visiting professor.

Furthermore, we tried to strengthen international networks with the OECD, the European Commission, IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), and others.　

５．Ensuring mutual complementarity between programs.

As one of the cross-sectional collaboration efforts with the three programs, the three program directors organized a symposium “Rethinking “Policies” in Transdisciplinary Research (as part of the 18th RIHN International Symposium) 

Future tasks

1. Support for FSs

For the six FSs to be implemented in 2024, we will continue to build a common foundation through the Land Use Innovation Seminar Series, as well as foster a common understanding of the nature of transdisciplinary research through workshops and other activities.

2. Support for FR project

We will provide support for system development as a program during the PR implementation period of the Dwyer project, which will lead to smooth FR implementation from FY2025.

3. Creation of evaluation matrix to achieve program mission

It is necessary to establish a methodology for comprehensively understanding the contribution of projects under the program to the program mission. In 2024, we plan to construct an evaluation matrix for this purpose.

4. Efforts to establish a position as a hub of land use policy ecosystem

In order for the program to function as part of the national and international policy ecosystem related to land use policy, we plan to create a concrete "venue" for exchanging opinions with key policy actors.